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I’ll take golden beets over red any day, any place, any time zone, as long as there’s a working oven.

Huckleberry’s Bistro style Tofu Scramble with Italian kale, green cabbage, kalamata olives, yellow bell pepper, creminis, lemon juice, shoyu, garlic and spices. I like this style because it channels the scrambles I used to make as a young vegan, over-relying on soy sauce for flavor!

Lightly fried rice with broccoli, carrots, Zesty Lemon Tempehtations (in my freezer from an old product review), leftover brown rice, sesame oil, almonds, tamari, garlic and white pepper. Definitely a ‘what do I have to work with??’ type of dinner.

My recent flickr stream informs me that I’ve been saving money by cooking at home lately! As much as I enjoy visiting new and old favorite establishments and socializing, I’m part hermit cat lady and have been spending time the past couple weeks enjoying fortunate holds on dvds the library (30 Rock! LOST! The Departed!)!

Isn’t that a swell segue for mention of a presentation I’m giving on this site and Local & Vegan Eating in Portland later this month at the library? Sure! I’m flattered that the library likes vegan bloggers! I’m flattered if one of my friends even half considers going!

I’m totally thrilled when I have hermit time and can pour myself into a cooking project. It’s a nice, personal break from my constant restaurant and cart adventures. Case in point, last weekend, testing recipes for Isa Moskowtiz’s new book.

Pasta Con Broccoli. A lower-fat take on a classic, served with whole wheat linguine. As an accompaniment, I simply roasted some whole cremini mushrooms with white wine and shoyu.

Blackened, Broiled Tofu. I had some clumping going on, but that’s okay! It’s a test recipe, after all, and a tasty protein.

Like this:

here’s a showing of what I’ve been cooking in the past month or so. colder weather & holiday season = comfort foods on the brain. turning on the oven to roast vegetables and bake tofu is delicious and keeps the apartment warm!

they’re the type of dishes where you want to hug the plate, and then raise your fork. truthfully, in my heart and stomach, Italian food reigns as the ruler of the comfort food kingdom, but American vegan comfort foods call out, just the same.

The spicy collards dish above was based on the test recipe for the dish below – Spicy Black Eyed Peas & Greens from Isa’s test kitchen, served with Cornmeal & Nooch baked tofu. Perfect for the days the Bye & Bye is just too far across town from me.

More BBQ baked tofu & Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin – the lunch@work edition. I made a double batch of maple sweetened Backyard BBQ sauce from Veganomicon a few weeks ago, and it’s been handy.

Baked Bean balls from Veganomicon. I eat these with steamed greens and a side of marinara, or happily over whole wheat spaghetti.

The day after Thanksgiving, I felt the delayed desire to make a seitan roast. Like my friend Joanna’s amazing seitan roast, I modeled mine after Brian P. McCarthy’s recipe. I didn’t pull out all the stops and buy cheesecloth and string, but it was still remarkably good seitan. The potato and mushroom croquettes were a mix of leftover mashed potatoes, roasted garlic and a little extra stuffed mushroom filling, formed into patties, rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs and baked. I remember my mom making a pan fried (mushroom-less), traditional Italian version of these a few times a year growing up. comfort foodz for the win!

There is no denying that Portland is a vegan mecca. People seem to travel from around the world to sample deep fried vegan corn dogs, soft serve from Blossoming Lotus and biscuits and gravy from Vita or Paradox, among hundreds of other delicious ideas that immediately popped into your head. Well, here’s another crown you can bestow upon this city – Tofu Scramble Capital of the USA.

The Stumptown Vegans have joked about how we could spend a month eating nothing but tofu scrambles for future reviews, and have projects and podcasts up our sleeves, on top of recently being interviewed about all things tofu scramble, vegan breakfast and more on Breakfast in Bridgetown. The past few years have seen an expansion in tofu scrambles across this city, overall shifts from cubes to scrambles and a decrease in the many menus that used to say ‘sub tofu/pay more’. Why, I remember when I first talked my way into a ‘subbed’ tofu scramble with smoked tomatoes at Genie’s…

So!

I decided it would be, well, fun, to see just how many tofu scrambles are available at different restaurants in Portland. I started making a list and couldn’t stop, and that became a table, which I’m calling a census.

Portland is home to excellent local tofu and some of the best produce in the country, and really, it’s an easy, cholesterol-free dish for any restaurant to offer during breakfast & brunch. But who’s got your favorite? Who cooks that tofu just right and has the best sides?

Tons of black pepper – this was gigantic, but I’ve heard a friend mention theirs was tiny.

Genie’s (Subbed) Tofu Scramble – go for the smoked tomatoes! They have great roasted potatoes and an amazing cocktail menu.

P.S. I have to give my friend Bazu credit for the origin of this idea, with her post on The Great Tofu Scramble Debate. Personally, I go all three ways – scrambled mush, cubed, and the in-between. Oh, and don’t forget about baked scrambles! Not such a fan.